Grenfell Commission to Decide Tower Site Fate

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government recently announced that a commission will be formed to enable the Grenfell community to decide a long-term plan for the London site.

This announcement solidifies the government’s promise that the bereaved will be in charge of deciding the tower’s fate after a deadly blaze that killed more than 70 people in June 2017.

The Commission

The Architects Journal reports that the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission will be comprised of 10 representatives, five of whom will be relatives of those who perished. The panel will be chaired by an independent representative.

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government recently announced that a commission will be formed to enable the Grenfell community on deciding a long-term plan for the London site.

"We are pleased that eight months on from the fire we finally have agreement that the bereaved, survivors and community will be at the heart of deciding the legacy of the site," Shahin Sadafi, chair of survivor campaign group Grenfell United, said at the time. "We hope working together to create a fitting memorial will be part of a healing process for everyone affected."

Officials have said that community will lead the decision-making with the bereaved getting a veto on all future decisions and a 50 percent representative vote.

While it is assumed that the site will become a memorial, last week, Adel Chaoui, also from Grenfell United, said that they’re faced with a "momentous task."

“For bereaved families it is the final resting place of the loved ones that we lost in the fire,” Chaoui said. “For the survivors, Grenfell Tower was our home, where we were brought up and raised our families. And for our community it is a part of our shared history.

“We have faith that bereaved families and survivors, working together with the local community, will be able to create a fitting memorial to remember the lives lost, ensure what happened is never forgotten and be something this community can hold in their hearts for generations to come.”

Over the next few months, the community will be tasked with nominating their representatives while the chairperson is confirmed.